Ween at 1STBANK Center, 10/31/10

The scene captured the sheer surrealism of Ween's Halloween show at the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield: Toward the end of the band's three-hour performance, Mickey Melchiondo -- aka Dean Ween -- belted out "The Blarney Stone" with gusto, his vocals unencumbered by the massive bunny head sitting atop his shoulders. He adjusted the huge furry headpiece in between singing verses and playing lead guitar; at one point, he commented simply, "Funny bunny."

A.H. Goldstein

Between the band's coordinated costumes, the 35-song setlist, the faithful rendition of David Bowie's "Let's Dance" and an extended version of the band's lascivious Prince tribute "L.M.L.Y.P." as a finale, the show boasted an epic, ambitious feel. Gene Ween (Aaron Freeman) and Dean Ween's onstage antics and prolific song selection lent the show a special signficance; the pageantry and power of it all made the performance seem more noteworthy than other recent Colorado appearances.

Indeed, the Halloween show stood apart from the band's 2009 Red Rocks appearance and the double Fillmore gigs in 2008. Despite some shortcomings in the form of a muddied sound mix, the band successfully used Halloween as an opportunity to push the envelope and explore uncharted performance territory onstage.

A.H. Goldstein

The effort started as soon as the five band members walked onstage, each sporting identical bunny outfits. The musicians hammed it up for the crowd, positioning themselves for a five-bunny orgy and waving giant, furred paws at the crowd. The theatrics earned cheers and hoots from the crowd before playing a note.

The band stayed in costume for the opening number, the Mariachi-driven instrumental "Fiesta" from 2007's La Cucaracha, but the massive masks came off as the guys started their ambitious live tour of Ween's massive catalogue. Gene Ween shed the fur and mask to reveal glow-in-the-dark pink hair and a black undersuit; Dean Ween kept on his furry jumpsuit throughout the show, though he didn't opt for shoes.

The performance immediately drew from all eras of the band's past. Songs from early releases like 1990's GodWeenSatan: The Oneness and 1991's The Pod came side-by-side with tunes from La Cucaracha, 1996's 12 Golden Country Greats, 1997's The Mollusk and 2003's Quebec. The band's been focused solely on touring and live performances for more than a year, and the show quickly took on the feel of a retrospective, a live celebration of the band's nearly thirty-year career.

A.H. Goldstein

The show also proved to be a showcase of how much even the recent songs have evolved in a live setting. Lengthy intros, extended solos and tweaked rhythms marked songs like "Your Party" and "My Own Bare Hands" from the latest album release.

The scope of sounds and styles on display was ambitious, and the house sound system was hit-or-miss. For some of the heavier, distortion-drenched tunes like "Dr. Rock," "My Own Bare Hands" and "Gabrielle," the instruments were blended together in a muddy mix. Glenn McClelland's keyboard lines, Dave Dreiwitz's bass and even some of Gene and Dean's vocals got lost in overpowering guitar tones.

As the show progressed, the crew seemed to fix some of the most glaring sound issues. McClelland's eerie, haunting synth lines on "Buckingham Green," for example, came through evocatively; drummer Claude Coleman was clear in his solo vocals on "Final Alarm." Dean's strength as a powerful, driving soloist was especially striking in songs like "Roses Are Free" and "Reggaejunkiejew."

A.H. Goldstein

Sound issues completely evaporated for the most memorable selections of the night, more obscure tunes that didn't make it onto the twenty-song setlist from last year's Red Rocks show. The stirring effect of seeing Gene and Dean play a solo version of "Sarah" from Pure Guava, the crowd participation for the unreleased track "Booze Me Up and Get Me High," the spot-on cover version of David Bowie's "Let's Dance," Dean Ween's stint on drums for "The Mollusk" -- such moments captured Ween's skills in a live setting.

The best musical moments from the band found a complement in a steady stream of theatrics. The band's bunny costumes were just the opening salvo in a steady stream of surrealism, an element that culminated in the final song of the encore. What started as a subtle, funky bass groove and Gene Ween playfully reciting lines from Steppenwolf's "The Pusher" morphed into an especially soulful, syncopated version of "L.M.L.Y.P.," the band's sinful Prince tribute from their debut album.

A.H. Goldstein

As the lyrics slowly evolved from sexual suggestion to blunt requests for oral sex, a coterie of costumed females gradually took the stage to dance alongside the musicians. It started with a dancing ballerina and a couple of other costumed female fans, and by the time Dean Ween started a lengthy guitar solo seeped in wah-wah effects, the crowd of girls had tripled. By the time Melchiondo restated the main melody of the tune as an end to his solo, it was nearly impossible to see him through the thicket of dancing female characters. It was an appropriate, bizarre cap for an exhilarating Halloween.

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

Personal Bias: The Ween brothers' stark, understated live versions of "Sarah" and "She Fucks Me" were particularly compelling. Hearing how songs from the early albums have morphed during the decades is always of particular interest for me.

Random Detail: Gene Ween tried to keep up the mood of the holiday. He asked Glenn McClellan for a "spooky" keyboard interlude, a prompt that inspired a piano solo that sounded straight out of a French Impressionist composer's handbook.

By the Way: The detail of the audience's Halloween costumes was consistently impressive. Japanese cowboys seemed to be the most popular choice, but there were also countless costumes of Boognish, the band's mascot, and a lot of bananas. A particularly creative couple made matching robot outfits, complete with battery-powered blinking lights.

SETLIST

Ween

10.31.10 | 1STBANK Center

Broomfield, CO

1. Fiesta

2. Don't Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy)

3. Touch My Tooter

4. Transdermal Celebration

5. Hey There Fancy Pants

6. Take Me Away

7. Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down)

8. Learnin' To Love

9. Don't Sweat It

10. Voodoo Lady

11. Your Party

12. My Own Bare Hands

13. Happy Colored Marbles

14. Up On the Hill

15. Gabrielle

16. Piss Up a Rope

17. Reggaejunkiejew

18. Let's Dance (David Bowie cover)

19. Buckingham Green

20. Ice Castles

21. Final Alarm

22. Back to Basom

23, Sarah

24. She Fucks Me

25. Bananas and Blow

26. Booze Me Up and Get Me High

27. Push Th' Little Daisies

28. Roses Are Free

29. Piano "Interlude" -- Glenn McClelland

30. The Mollusk

31. Doctor Rock

32. Blarney Stone

ENCORE

33. Mister, Would You Please Help My Pony?

34. Freedom of '76

35. Stroker Ace

36. Pusher Man Intro/LMLYP

Use Current Location

Related Location

Get the Music Newsletter

Keep your thumb on the local music scene with music features, additional online music listings and show picks. We'll also send special ticket offers and music promotions available only to our Music Newsletter subscribers.